St John Ambulance Membership - Terms and Conditions

1 Background

• 1.1. By buying a Membership you are helping Hato Hone St John. In addition, Individual, Joint or residential Household members (referred to as “Customers”) may benefit from free ambulance cover in a medical emergency or accident-related injury that is more than 24 hours old.
• 1.2. If you are treated by an ambulance officer and/or transported in an ambulance because of a medical emergency, there is normally a part charge you must pay. A medical emergency means, among others, events such as a collapse, asthma attack or heart attack. A part charge normally also applies for an accident-related injury that is more than 24 hours old. Current Ambulance charges can be found on www.stjohn.org.nz.

2 Membership benefits

• 2.1. Customers do not have to pay any part charge where they are treated by an ambulance officer and/or transported because of a medical emergency, anywhere in New Zealand that Hato Hone St John ambulance operates.
• 2.2. Customers do not have to pay any part charge where they have been treated for an accident-related injury that is more than 24 hours old or where the injuries do not meet ACC criteria.

Please note that there are some situations when the part charge will not be waived regardless of you becoming a member. These situations are explained in section 6 and 7 below. In some cases, Hato Hone St John may still issue a part charge invoice for the service, however your medical alarm provider or residential care facility may be obligated to pay this on your behalf. If this applies to you, Hato Hone St John recommends that you consider whether buying an Ambulance Membership is right for you. If you still wish to support Hato Hone St John, you are welcome to buy a Membership, or alternatively, you may wish to make a donation.

• 2.3. The following are not included in the Membership:
  • a. Customers are not given priority over any other patients calling 111 in a medical emergency or requiring ambulance treatment or transport.
  • b. Having a Membership does not guarantee that Hato Hone St John will send an ambulance if you call 111. If you require assistance, Hato Hone St John organises the most appropriate help. This could be an ambulance, paramedic, another emergency service or expert advice.
  • c. Customers will not receive free ambulance transport where an ambulance has been called and the patient does not require clinical assessment or treatment and Hato Hone St John deems the call-out to be neither of a medical or emergency nature. Hato Hone St John may charge Customers the full cost for providing ambulance services in these circumstances (visit www.stjohn.org.nz/part-charges for details of ambulance private hire charges).
  • d. Customers will not receive free ambulance transport to or from clinical appointments, from one hospital to another (when not deemed a medical emergency) or transport on discharge from hospital following treatment, including from the emergency department.

3 Customer obligations

• 3.1. The annual Ambulance Membership fee must be paid in full to qualify for free emergency ambulance cover.
• 3.2. Ambulance Memberships are not transferable or assignable.
• 3.3. For the Joint and Household Memberships, the additional customer/s must live permanently at the same residential household address and be listed on the membership form.
• 3.4. Residents of a household, who are not listed on the form or advised to Hato Hone St John, are not covered by the benefits of the Membership. The exception to this is that all Memberships cover new-born babies living permanently in the same household as the principal Customer for the remainder of the Membership year. When applying for a Joint or Household Membership, the applicant must include the name of the principal Customer (primary contact) who purchased the Membership.
• 3.5. The principal Customer must notify Hato Hone St John of any relevant changes to the additional Customers listed on the Joint Membership, or additions to or other relevant changes to Customers listed on the Household Membership. If changes are not notified to Hato Hone St John, an individual living at a principal Customer’s address who is not listed on the Membership form by the principal Customer will need to pay the part charge for any emergency ambulance attendance and/or transport.
• 3.6. The principal Customer must notify Hato Hone St John of any changes to the Membership in advance of any intended use.

4 Rates and payment

• 4.1. Membership rates are available for Individual, Joint and residential Households. Current rates are available here.
• 4.2. Any changes in rates will be notified to the principal Customer at least one month before the current Membership expires.
• 4.3. Subject to these conditions, payment of the Individual, Joint or Household Membership will provide cover for 12 months from the date payment is received by Hato Hone St John.
• 4.4. For continuous cover, renewal of the full Membership amount must be paid before the current paid Membership period ends. Part payments are not accepted unless under prior arrangement.
• 4.5. There is no life membership equivalent of the Ambulance Membership.
• 4.6 Where incomplete, different, or incorrect information is provided to Hato Hone St John in a medical emergency resulting in us not being able to match a current Customer to the call out, a part charge invoice will be automatically generated. Current Customers who are eligible to have the part charge covered by the Membership may subsequently contact Hato Hone St John and request the invoice to be waived and their details corrected.

5 Cancellation

• 5.1. A Customer may cancel their Membership at any time in writing. Cancellation will take effect at the end of the Membership year. If a Membership is cancelled part way through the Membership year, Hato Hone St John does not refund the remaining Membership fee.
• 5.2. Hato Hone St John may, at its discretion, decline any Membership application or Membership renewal, or cancel any current Membership on written notice to a Customer if:
  • a. The Customer or an individual living in a Customer household or prospective Customer household is indebted to Hato Hone St John (or to any assignee of such debt if it has been assigned by Hato Hone St John); or
  • b. Hato Hone St John determines, acting reasonably, that the Customer is acting contrary to these terms and conditions or abusing the Membership; or
  • c. The application or renewal has been made without the express authority of the person named as the applicant.

6 Exclusions

• 6.1. Hato Hone St John does not provide emergency ambulance services in Wellington and Wairarapa.
• 6.2. To join the Ambulance Membership, you need to be a citizen or permanent resident of New Zealand, or eligible for free public healthcare in New Zealand in accordance with Ministry of Health policy.
• 6.3. Hato Hone St John Medical Alarm Customers are not eligible to join the Membership. The cost of emergency ambulance call outs, whether as a result of an alarm activation or not, is already covered by Hato Hone St John for Hato Hone St John Medical Alarm Customers.
• 6.4. Group or company participation in the Membership is at the discretion of Hato Hone St John and is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

7. Situations when the part charge may not be waived even if you choose to join the Ambulance Membership.

• 7.1 If you are a resident of a rest home, private hospital or other commercial residential age care facilities and you have been assessed as requiring ‘rest home level care’ by a Needs Assessment and Service Coordinator (NASC), the cost of your ambulance part charge should be paid for by the provider. In those situations, Hato Hone St John reserves the right to issue a part charge invoice. We suggest discussing this with your facility to confirm what services are provided. See here for more information https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/life-stages/health-older-people/long-term-residential-care/residential-care-questions-and-answers.
• 7.2 If you are a customer of a medical alarm provider which is accredited with the Ministry of Social Development, the cost of your ambulance part charge should be paid for by the provider when you have an ambulance call-out via your alarm. In those situations, Hato Hone St John reserves the right to issue a part charge invoice. You should check with your medical alarm provider under what situations the ambulance part charges will be covered. You can find a list of medical alarm providers which are accredited with the Ministry of Social Development here. www.workandincome.govt.nz search medical alarms
• 7.3 In some circumstances the provider of an independent living, retirement village or other commercial residential facility may include the cost of your ambulance part charge as part of the cost of you of living there. In those situations, you may want to check with the provider to decide whether buying a Membership is right for you.

8. Privacy

• 8.1 Hato Hone St John is concerned with protecting the privacy of your personal and health information. Our privacy policy is available at www.stjohn.org.nz/privacypolicy

9. Promocode terms and conditions

• 9.1 These promotional Code terms and conditions apply in addition to the standard Ambulance Membership terms and conditions outlined above.
• 9.2 Promocode discounts are exclusive to new Ambulance Memberships only and are not applicable to existing Membership renewals.
• 9.3 The discount applies to the first 12 months of membership, after which standard annual Membership fees apply.
• 9.4 The discount will be applied to the standard annual Individual, Joint or Household Ambulance Membership fee.
• 9.5 Promocode discounts are only available online and cannot be applied to a manual payment.
• 9.6 The promotional code is valid for a limited time only. Hato Hone St John reserves the right to modify or cancel it at any time.
• 9.7 Each promotional code can be used only once, unless otherwise specified.
• 9.8 The promotional code is not transferable, may not be resold or redeemed for cash.
• 9.9 Limit one promotional code per Ambulance Membership.
• 9.10 You must enter the Promo Code during the checkout process in the payment details section when placing your order online otherwise the discount will not be applied to your order. The Apply Code button must be clicked to activate the discount.
• 9.11 You cannot use a Promo Code in conjunction with any other discounts or promotional offers unless the specific terms relating to the offer state that you can combine the Promo Code with other offers.
• 9.12 Hato Hone St John reserves the right to void the transactions where prohibited.
• 9.13 Hato Hone St John reserves the right to update these terms and conditions without prior notice.
• 9.14 Use of the Promo Code deems acceptance of these Terms and Conditions.